Bhubaneswar, May 13: The costliest road ever built in the city is bereft of street lights, thanks to a blame game between the public works department and the municipal corporation.
The other day, Damodar Mohanty of Jagamohannagar was almost about to bear the brunt of such departmental blame game when suddenly an SUV came in his Wagon R's way and he managed to avoid a collision at the last moment by somehow zipping past the car.
The 44-year-old executive recalled the experience in utter horror. "I could not simply make out movements of the cars coming from the opposite direction. It's too dangerous to drive on the stretch, which is devoid of street lights, during night hours. For me, it was a clean shave," said Mohanty.
Like him, many commuters are facing similar inconvenience while driving on the 2.02km stretch connecting City Women's College with Jagamara and built at a cost of almost Rs 50 crore. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the road on May 6.
The construction of the road, which has become lifeline for many localities such as Jagamara, Gandamunda, Jagamohannagar and Khandagiri, cost Rs 9.50 crore, while compensation against the acquired land for the project reached Rs 39.50 crore - making it nearly Rs 25 crore for a kilometre. The public works department built this road, which took almost five years to be ready.
Public works department executive engineer (division III) Panchanan Mohanty said: "While laying new roads, we make provisions for concrete median for installation of street lights, but the civic authorities have to install them at their cost. Our role comes into play only when we build a road dismantling the old street lights. In that case, we would have to re-install the light posts."
However, on this, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation deputy commissioner (projects and public relations) Srimanta Mishra said: "According to a state government decision, all components of a road project such as drains and street lights should be part of the detailed project report. If the works department is developing a new road, provisions should be there to fund the cost of street lights as well. We have the expertise and manpower to install and maintain them after that."
Mishra further said that after the Rajmahal flyover's construction, the works department had installed street lights along it. "Earlier, on many roads they had installed street lights, so why a new rule now?" he asked.
Councillor of ward No. 12 Sanjay Kumar Sethy said: "In the past, the executive engineer (division IV) of the works had sanctioned funds for street lights at Gadakana. But now, they are not paying any heed to it regarding the newly inaugurated stretch. A major road connecting Omfed Square and Railway Hospital, too, is lying in the dark."
Division IV executive engineer Dukhabandhu Behera said: "Earlier, an executive engineer might have sanctioned funds for street lights, but there is no provision to do it now."
City engineer B.K. Parida said: "A letter, issued by the state government on April 17, has categorically asked the works department to collect the estimates of street lights from the corporation before floating tender for new roads. The works department should deposit funds with the civic body to provide the facility for the public."
However, while the two departments are busy in passing the street light responsibility on each other, pedestrians and commuters keep on suffering.
Incidentally, this new road is not the only stretch in the city where street lights are not installed. A major road connecting Fire Station Square and Ekamra Square, too, is lying in darkness during night without the light posts. A road connecting Omfed Square and Railway Hospital and the ones around the Janata Maidan developed during the Indian Road Congress do not have street lights either.
Earlier meetings, chaired by the chief secretaries, had also put emphasis on facts that all components of a road development should be included in the detailed project report.